Why did you choose Android instead of IOS?

[OrigSleuth]

... Hype, marketing ploys and popularity do not create a superior product; they just make people look like suckers. Products should serve the purchaser, not the other way around. ...

True, Hype etc do not make a superior product. However cheap is not always good, and expensive is not always bad.

Some products are expensive but they are expensive because they are good.

You can spend any sort of money on any product you desire - it is the user that determines if it was of use or not.

 

[oklahomakid]

Android Offers Many Different Options with Builds, You Can Get Minimal like Nexus and Many Others who Offer Same, or You Can Go With More Options or Company Inspired Like Samsung/ HTC and Others and The Price Range Under $100 to $1000 Allows All to Find The Perfect Phone For Them, And Most Important is the MODDING That Gives Ability to Modify Lower End Devices and Update a Device that Otherwise Would Not Get Updated and Root, Custom Recoveries/ Roms Make Android Exciting and A lot More User Customization if Into That, So Cost, Styles, Modifications, Personalizations,Modding Community, A Modder Can Buy Less Expensive Device and Make it Comparable to Higher End Devices its A Beautiful Thing, and Can Copy Apple/Windows/Miui Theming So Endless Possibilities Give ANDROID EDGE.

 

[Koopakid]

My first smart phone was an iphone 4, after seeing my brother with an s3 and all the stuff you could do with his phone then I could with mine made me switch. Seeing that you could run emulators without jailbreaking, download torrents etc with out jailbreaking was definitely the selling point for me.

 

[Slug]

Android is can be cheaper, and there are various type.

FTFY

Current UK handset-only prices from the same retailer as of 24/12/2016:

iPhone 7 = £579
Google Pixel = £599

When iOS is expensive, it just look like you buy the brand not the phones

When you compare like-for-like, Apple is actually, bought outright, no more expensive than anything else. What carriers charge on contract, otoh, is up to what they expect customers to pay.

 

[lvt]

At least you still have a free audio jack with Android phones.

 

[Hadron]

At least you still have a free audio jack with most Android phones.

Fixed that for you. There are already Android phones without headphone jacks, and unless people boycott them there will be more.

 

[lvt]

Fixed that for you. There are already Android phones without headphone jacks, and unless people boycott them there will be more.

I think the 3.5mm could be replaced by the smaller 2.5mm before disappearing.

There still are people who buy phones for music and FM radio, unless you can provide high speed data or free Wi-Fi everywhere, I believe the audio jack still has beautiful days ahead.

 

[Hadron]

I don't have any kit with 2.5mm jacks, so that would mean another adapter to carry around

I use my phone as a music player, so have been watching the appearance of jackless phones with some dismay. Not only is an adapter a pain to have to carry, and blocks the charging port when in use, but there are different ways you could implement it and the risk of compatibility problems. So far in the Android world people seem to be using the analogue capabilities of USB-C to send audio out, meaning that a simple, passive adapter is possible and the audio quality is still determined by the phone's DAC and amplifier. But you could also adopt only digital audio output, which would require the DAC and amplifier to be part of the adapter and would make the quality of analogue output dependent on the adapter rather than the phone. When USB-C audio peripherals become widespread you could imagine this version becoming increasingly common, especially at the budget end.

Of course today's example of that last approach is Apple (which also brings this back on-topic! ). Lightning is a digital-only port, and proprietary to Apple, so anyone wanting to use their existing headphones with an iPhone 7 has no alternative to the Apple lightning-to-audio jack adapter. The price of that thing ($9/£9) tells you that they've not exactly gone to town with the DAC and amplifier in it, so it's no surprise to find that many reviews in the Apple Store are complaining about the poor sound quality via this adapter.

 

[lvt]

Actually the 3.5mm audio jack is the thickest part of a smart phone's main board. If you want to make slim phones while keeping the audio jack, the 2.5mm is the only solution.

 

[dan330]

but why do we need it to be any thinner?

i find too-thin phones to be uncomfortable .. in hand.. and between check and shoulder.
also.. the thinner.. the easier it can bend!!!!

i would prefer to add in more battery capacity !!!!

 

[chanchan05]

but why do we need it to be any thinner?

i find too-thin phones to be uncomfortable .. in hand.. and between check and shoulder.
also.. the thinner.. the easier it can bend!!!!

i would prefer to add in more battery capacity !!!!

This. Ditched the OEM leather case on my S7E this week for a Spigen Slim Armor to make it a bit heavier and thicker. The weight makes me feel it better in my pants, informing me if I left it somewhere. Lol.

And with present tech making batteries smaller for the same capacity, if the S7E was as thick as say, a Note 3 or Note 2, they've probably would have been able to slapt a 5000mah battery in it.

 

[MLSS]

I choose android because it was cheaper.
I used to have an iPhone 5s for work but didn't use it much and honestly the last 6 months I had it I left it in my desk turned off lol
When the Board of Directors emailed me about upgrading I told them it was a waste of money because I never used it in the first place. They said I had to take the upgrade weather I used it or not so I choose the iPhone SE and gave it to my daughter. My wife keeps the 5s as a backup just in case something happens to her 6s.
My wife and 2 of my kids love IOS. You couldn't pay my wife to switch and my oldest would rather go without a phone than switch. My 14 user old had a 5s but has since taking a liking to android.
If IOS had an app drawer and widgets I'd have no problem using it.

 

[Slug]

If IOS had an app drawer and widgets I'd have no problem using it.

^This

If I could install and run Android on an iPhone 7 I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Beautiful hardware let down by the software and UI.

 

[lunatic59]

^^Agreed²

I have an iPad and an iPod nano and even the limited icons and menu of the nano drive me bat$h!t crazy. I'd rather use a cheap POS no-name from China running MIUI than deal with iOS.

 

[bcrichster]

^This

If I could install and run Android on an iPhone 7 I'd buy one in a heartbeat. Beautiful hardware let down by the software and UI.

I swear on my life I seen an iPhone (4?) that ran iOS and after having a conversation with the guy, he said "Cyanogenmod? Oh I have that too (cm10 or 11).." He rebooted a cpl times then BAM! Cyanogenmod booted AND functioned. [emoji15] I was in shock for the second time after having previously learned to flash a ROM.. [emoji41]

 

[fflip8]

More phone options. With Android you can get a crappy $100 phone that will last you a year, or a $850 phone that'll last the 2 year average upgrade window and beyond, or a mid range $400-$500 phone that'll last with less high end features. With iOS, all you can get is an iPhone, which is either $650++++, or $400 for a mini-phone.
iOS really isn't that bad if you don't mind how basic it is, but Android is still better due to expandable storage and file management/customization.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

I'm not in the US either. What I'm saying is, you can't just take your Note5 to a Samsung store like you can an Apple Store and swap it over right then and there. There are more hoops to jump through. Apple really do set the marker when it comes to customer service of this kind. That's one of the reasons why people stick with them.

Here in South Africa I can do that. Heck, I can drop my S7 Edge and Crack the screen, call Samsung and they will come pick up my Phone give me a loan S7 Edge, and a day later they drop-off my fixed S7 Edge.

It's really dependent on where you are.

 

[jadmorffier]

Here in South Africa I can do that. Heck, I can drop my S7 Edge and Crack the screen, call Samsung and they will come pick up my Phone give me a loan S7 Edge, and a day later they drop-off my fixed S7 Edge.

It's really dependent on where you are.

I think you'll find service like that from Samsung (or any other smartphone manufacturer - including apple) is extremely rare and unheard of in most places around the world.

 

[mikedt]

Here in South Africa I can do that. Heck, I can drop my S7 Edge and Crack the screen, call Samsung and they will come pick up my Phone give me a loan S7 Edge, and a day later they drop-off my fixed S7 Edge.

It's really dependent on where you are.

We can do same thing in China as well. It's their customer "VIP" service. Pay an extra premium for it of course.

 

[chanchan05]

I think you'll find service like that from Samsung (or any other smartphone manufacturer - including apple) is extremely rare and unheard of in most places around the world.

I dunno. Only in the US I hear about how their service sucks. In the UK it also seems to depend on who handles your warranty/insurance. In most SEA countries, I could go to any Samsung brick and mortar store (almost every mall has one. There are more Samsung Stores here than actual Apple Centers) , have them check my phone for the damage, and get a replacement or repair depending on the status of the warranty.

 

[GlitterPanther]

Ill be honest, I ditched android for Windows Phone 8 for quite some timetime (I love it and still do) but windows 10 mobile sucks so I switched back to android with a Huawei P8 and iv been in love ever since. IOS was never an option, I go blackberry before IOS

 

[Rxpert83]

Simple: I'm a tinkerer. I like that android is open.

iOS devices haven't ever been a contender when looking for a new phone.

 

[RaymondP]

I was on a Windows Mobile smart phone when the iPhone was announced. I was a big Apple fan like most persons in the US. Then came the exclusive deal with AT&T followed by the rush of many Americans raised under democracy to buy it even though their choice of carrier was being dictated by Apple! I'll never forget nor forgive Apple for that. Microsoft had its head up it's rear over Windows Mobile so that wasn't going anywhere. Then along came the G1! It was not elegant like an iPhone, but even in those days it could do so much more plus you could get one on the carrier of YOUR choice! The iPhone was still king, a real status symbol, by comparison the G1 was a drudge with better capabilities! Then, the Nexus one was announced! Beauty beyond compare but the launch was ruined by Google who failed to supply any phones to retailers for customers to try out! Who buys a phone without being able to hold it, test it, assess its capabilities? Not this American, so no deal! Looking back I realize that Apple's money grab deal made with the devil (AT&T) left the door wide open for another OEM to waltz in and grab market share! Hello, Samsung Vibrant, still have it in a box! That's when my real love of Android began, a true platform for freedom loving people everywhere! Will never, ever, purchase Apple devices!

 

[Hadron]

Actually Apple's "start with one carrier" strategy had it's merits. It gave them a stronger hand in negotiating with the carriers, including their best feature, namely that they, and not the carrier, would handle the software on the devices (including what apps were pre-installed). If a carrier wouldn't buy that, they could say "fine, then you won't get the gig", whereas if you are trying to get as many carriers as possible to take your device then they can set the terms. And once it was a success then the other carriers who wanted to sell it had to accept their terms. And I think that this desire to control the deal themselves instead of letting the carriers call the shots, rather than some "attack on freedom" of the individual, was the real motivation.

So no, I was never going to change carriers in order to get an iPhone, but then I never believed that the "single carrier" model would be a long term thing. But I will applaud them for managing to keep control of their own updates and keep the bloatware off, and I think that this initial strategy played a role in getting that result.

Of course it's possible to achieve something similar in Android - you just never buy a carrier-branded handset (relatively easy here in the UK: even if you need a carrier subsidy to afford a phone our biggest independent phone retailer sells unlocked, unbranded phones. My understanding is that it's much trickier in the States).

 

[mikedt]

I was on a Windows Mobile smart phone when the iPhone was announced. I was a big Apple fan like most persons in the US. Then came the exclusive deal with AT&T followed by the rush of many Americans raised under democracy to buy it even though their choice of carrier was being dictated by Apple! I'll never forget nor forgive Apple for that. Microsoft had its head up it's rear over Windows Mobile so that wasn't going anywhere. Then along came the G1! It was not elegant like an iPhone, but even in those days it could do so much more plus you could get one on the carrier of YOUR choice! The iPhone was still king, a real status symbol, by comparison the G1 was a drudge with better capabilities! Then, the Nexus one was announced! Beauty beyond compare but the launch was ruined by Google who failed to supply any phones to retailers for customers to try out! Who buys a phone without being able to hold it, test it, assess its capabilities? Not this American, so no deal! Looking back I realize that Apple's money grab deal made with the devil (AT&T) left the door wide open for another OEM to waltz in and grab market share! Hello, Samsung Vibrant, still have it in a box! That's when my real love of Android began, a true platform for freedom loving people everywhere! Will never, ever, purchase Apple devices!

It's not only Apple, AFAIK there's many devices that are always exclusive to Verizon and can only be had from Verizon, e.g. Droid phones and Ellipsis tablets. I'm sure there's other exclusive lock-ins as well, with AT&T, Sprint, etc. We certainly don't have anything like that here in People's Republic of China. Phones here are always unlocked, no subsidies, no mandatory contracts, and will usually work on any network, and quite democratic actually.

Quite frankly I've got idea that some US carriers are more akin to Stalinist dictatorships than freedom and democracy. Verizon Wireless "Big Red = Big Brother".